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Talk:SorryNotSorry/@comment-3575890-20160309163715
I can understand how it may seem like Maya monopolizes Cory and Topanga’s time at Riley’s expense, but that’s only because she needs their guidance more and Corpanga fully acknowledge this. Maya has all of these insecurities and abandonment issues that require a little more guardianship than what Riley needs. Even though Cory and Topanga are not Maya’s parents, they are who have been her parental figures since she was a child. And in many ways, Maya is still more of a child than Riley, who is swiftly growing up beyond her years and increasingly becoming more independent and mature than Maya whom is progressing at a much slower rate, which I think has a lot to do with early childhood development seeing as Maya wasn’t raised in the same conditions as Riley. I am not saying that it’s okay for Cory and Topanga to neglect Riley in favor of Maya, but that’s not even what’s happening anyway. Cory and Topanga have always been there for Riley when she has needed them. It is not that Corpanga favors Maya over their daughter. It is that they turn all of their attention to the girl that needs it most when the moment calls for it. Over the years, Maya has become like a second daughter to them and they love her too. She practically grew up since early childhood in their care. They care for and worry about her emotional welfare, which is why it seems they reach out to her more often than they do Riley. Maya is more often the one that’s hurting and needs support. It is important to remember that Maya is not a supporting or secondary character, but the deuteragonist of this show. From a narrative point of view, that makes her the second most important character of the series. This means it’s to be expected that she has episodes centered around her and told from her perspective, even if the overall story is from Riley’s POV. I do not feel that the central focus has been taken off Riley, but rather that its expanded to include both girls and their respective lives and perspectives. I feel that this change of trajectory better accommodates the foundation of the series and makes room for better story, relationship, and character development than when zeroing in on a more insular focus. It also provides an audience of multiple demographics with more than one character to identify with on an in-depth and personal level, which is especially great for younger viewers. The show has even started broadening its scope of narratives to include Farkle and Lucas’ perspectives. I have noticed that a common consensus that has begun to take root within the fandom is this notion that Maya is privileged over Riley. I do not see it that way at all. Maya requires more because she has less. Riley has so much more than Maya and this is not only rooted in canonical text, but is often alluded to the point of which it’s become a running theme of the show. Maya is not well off. She is so emotionally damaged, disillusioned, self-depreciating, and plagued with emotional baggage. I think it’s exactly this reason that Maya often seems to be the focus of Cory and Topanga’s line of sight too. They are deeply concerned for her. It is very clear which of the girls is at greater risk of veering off the right path because beneath this veneer of razor-edged sarcasm and wit, is a rather fragile and impressionable soul. Despite Maya’s facade of strength, resistance and rebelliousness, she’s actually more sensitive and vulnerable than sweet-dispositioned and gentle-mannered Riley, and in that vein she’s a bit of a wild card whom could go in either direction later on in life depending on the environment she continues to grow up in. She has a strong support system in her relationships with Riley, Farkle, Lucas, Corpanga, Shawn, and her mother, but she’d also fall apart without that one constant in her life. Contrary to the illusion of independence that’s exhibited in her fiery personality, Maya is very dependent on her loved ones for emotional stability. She cannot stand on her own. She has all of these unresolved issues with herself that verge on taking hold of her at any moment. Maya has so many more problems than Riley. It is she who grew up without a father, it is she who has abandonment issues because her father would rather play house with another family than be in her life, it is she who had no relationship with her mother up until they reconciled last season, it is she who has a leaky roof over her head, it is she who is poor, it is she whose intelligence is constantly underestimated and her capability downplayed by even those closest to her, which is why it's not a wonder she has such a low opinion of herself, it is she who sat back and watched the boy she like court her best friend never saying anything until now because she wanted Riley to be happy, it is she who bawled at the first moment that an adult figure commented about her hand-me-down clothes because she was so touched that they cared, it is she who cried when Riley announced she wanted to change the aesthetic of the Bay Window because she's so terrified of the slightest change in fear of that it may result in her being abandoned by someone she loves again, it is she who feels she's not good enough for anyone to stick around for, it is she who is convinced she won't amount to much in life. When you sum all of this up, it is also she who needs extra support and guidance to stay motivated and on the right path, which might I mention, the only reason she's on is because of the love and support that Riley and her family had showered her with over the years in compensation of the neglect and lack of attention her own family showed her. Maya has practically become a part of the Matthews family because at the time that she claimed the Matthews home as her own, there was no home for her anywhere else. It is very fortunate for Maya that Riley is such an understanding friend whom is never jealous of the close relationship her parents have with Maya; whom even encourages it because she only ever has Maya’s best interests at heart. One thing Maya is very fortunate to have is her as a friend.